Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Chris Murray has been known to be a bit wordy, so we’re giving him 1,000 words (no more than that) to share his thoughts from the week that was in the world of sports.

* HERE’S A LIST OF ZACH SUDFELD’S surgeries while at Nevada: two on the shoulder, one on the knee, one on a broken wrist and two on a leg he snapped in the 2010 season opener at Oregon. Now, here’s a list of players ahead of Sudfeld on the New England Patriots’ tight end depth chart: none. Sudfeld has been one of the biggest stories of the preseason. The undrafted free-agent signed with the Patriots for $17,000 in guaranteed money and has risen to the top of what used to be a loaded depth chart. Aaron Hernandez’s legal issues and Rob Gronkowski’s injuries have made Sudfeld a good bet to not only make the team but start on opening day. All of this from a guy who was a third-string player as a prep freshman.

* WHILE SUDFELD’S INJURIES WERE DEVASTATING, he wouldn’t be fighting for an NFL roster spot without those injuries. Each time he was hurt, the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Modesto, Calif., native came back stronger. His love of the game strengthened. His resiliency grew. “He has dealt with adversity and every time you go through something like that you get a little stronger for the next time, for the next experience,” said Nevada tight ends coach James Spady, who coached Sudfeld for three seasons. “That’s made him who he is today. If anybody deserves to have this kind of success, it’s Zach.”

Former Wolf Pack tight end Zach Sudfeld is making a splash with the New England Patriots this preseason. (Michael Dwyer/AP file)

* ON NFL DRAFT DAY, I fired off the following tweet: “Just a few picks left. If Wolf Pack tight end Zach Sudfeld doesn't get picked somebody is getting a steal in free agency.” Seventeen tight ends were drafted. Sudfeld was not. He had an injury-filled history; he caught only two passes in his first five years at Nevada; he was old for his class (24); he didn’t receive an NFL Combine invitation. But he could play. Anybody who watched him at Nevada knew he could play. He’s huge, he has great hands, he’s a solid athlete and, equally important, he loves the game. Still, I didn’t think signing with the Patriots was a wise move, not with the team’s tight end depth. But Sudfeld’s agent (Scott Smith of XAM Sports) did the research and it showed the Patriots typically keep one or two undrafted free agents. Bill Belichick keeps his best players and Sudfeld is proving to be one of the Patriots’ best 53.

* I TYPICALLY AVOID writing about a players’ character. The truth is we don’t know these guys, not after a dozen or so interviews. Too often writers get tricked into writing about somebody’s strong character before later finding out that player is a fraud. But with Sudfeld, I’m willing to say he’s the most genuinely nice Wolf Pack player I’ve covered. His main recruiter at Nevada, Barry Sacks, once told me: “There is not a phony bone in Zach Sudfeld’s body.” Spady said Sudfeld, who learned how to play guitar while recovering from his broken leg in 2010, will never change. “He’ll make a bazillion dollars and it will be the same dude,” Spady said. “He’ll be playing the guitar and doing the same stuff he’s always done. That’s what I love about him. I’m so proud of him. He’s almost like my kid. I get filled up with so much joy to see something good happen for somebody who is such a good person.”

* RON JAWORSKI CREATED A STIR when he said, “I truly believe Colin Kaepernick could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.” My first reaction was, “Slow down, Mr. Hyperbole!” Let’s have Kaepernick shoot for a Pro Bowl appearance first and then we can move onto the “greatest ever” talk. While acknowledging that kind of praise was a great honor, even Kaepernick pumped the brakes by saying, “I haven’t played a full season yet.” It will be interesting to see how Kaepernick responds to all of this praise and attention. He’s been on the cover of ESPN the Magazine and GQ (basically naked in both). He has the NFL’s top-selling jersey. ESPN analysts are carving his Hall of Fame bust already. There’s a lot more pressure on Kaepernick heading into this season, although he’s fairly good under pressure.

* SINCE JAWORSKI THREW IT OUT THERE, who is the best quarterback in NFL history? The game has changed so much that it’s hard to judge based on statistics. If I had to win one game, I’m taking Joe Montana first. Then Tom Brady. Then John Elway. Then Peyton Manning. Could Kaepernick make his way onto the list? I guess, but he’d have to put up 15 years of All-Pro-caliber play and win two or three Super Bowl rings along the way. First, he’s got to get past contemporaries like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan, not to Brady, the Manning brothers and newcomers Andrew Luck and RGIII.

Ryan Braun's reputation is ruined and the written apology he issued this week isn't doing much to help it. (Morry Gash/AP file)

* RYAN BRAUN IS A FRAUD, and so is the apology he issued this week. If he wants forgiveness, sit in front of the media and answer every question baseball fans have for him. I’m tired of guys admitting the bare minimum of their performance-enhancing drug use. If you think Braun only used PEDs late in the 2011 season, like he said in his written apology, you’re an idiot. While I’m on the topic, if we’re going to vilify baseball players for using PEDS, we need to do the same with football stars. The Broncos’ Von Miller gets suspended six games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and it barely causes a ripple.

* THE SADDEST SPORTS STORY OF THE YEAR came this week when 22-year-old Australian Christopher Lane, who plays baseball at a small college in Oklahoma, was shot in the back while jogging around his girlfriend’s neighborhood. According to police, it was a random act of violence, with three teenagers deciding to shoot and kill Lane because they were “bored,” according to a 17-year-old who admitted the murder in a detailed confession. This is really the world we live in?

The actual substance hasn't been released, but I highly doubt is was pot. The NFL wanted to give him an eight-game suspension at first and settled on six. The typical ban is four. The NFL wouldn't go that hard for a pot offense. NFL.com reported he had a diluted sample, which means he was trying to dodge something. He's also a Stage 3 offender, meaning his next positive test gives him a year-long ban. I think there's a lot more here than pot.

Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Chris Murray takes you behind Northern Nevada’s sports scene, focusing on stories you can’t find anywhere else. Chris earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno. He’s won multiple Nevada Press Association awards and been honored in the Associated Press Sports Editors Top 10 five times. Follow him on Twitter at @MurrayRGJ.